IHARA: We still have a lot of room to grow in the market we operate

For 57 years, IHARA has worked side-by-side with farmers, developing new technologies that help protect the productive potential of the most diverse crops. With more than 60 products in IHARA's portfolio to serve more than 100 different crops, IHARA's purpose is to assist in the daily lives of farmers in the field and contribute to the progress and competitiveness of Brazilian agriculture.

The market for chemical pesticides has been historically accompanied by the growth of major crops in the domestic market. Therefore, what is IHARA's vision about the future of this segment? What actions will the company make to follow the market?

Considering the challenges that a tropical country brings to farmers in terms of productivity, the industry has a fundamental role in helping them become increasingly competitive worldwide. Therefore, our focus is to be the bridge between the most modern Japanese technologies, adapting them to Brazilian conditions and offering innovative solutions for different crops.

Our company has always focused on the research and development of new technologies, which is why, in the last three years, we have invested more than R$200 million in research and development, as well as in infrastructure and the expansion of our product line, with the launch of more than 30 important new products for the agricultural market.

This search for a portfolio that is suitable to the realities of our country is constant, and we will continue to dedicate our efforts to our productive capacity and expertise, offering farmers always innovative and highly efficient solutions.

In addition to this robust investment in the research and development of new products, we are undergoing an intense modernization process, investing heavily in our infrastructure and manufacturing operations, with a clear long-term project in mind aimed at sustaining the company's growth.

To give you an idea, in 2022 alone, we invested more than BRL90 million in our unit in Sorocaba/SP, as well as expanding and modernizing our industrial park with the construction of new warehouses and new manufacturing plants, in addition to the restructuring of our administrative area, living spaces, auditorium, cafeteria, and other spaces. In addition to two new research and development centers, one in Sarandi/PR and the other in Primavera do Leste/MT, designed to develop solutions that meet the needs of agriculture in all regions of the country, we have also invested in 10 new distribution centers to facilitate the logistics of delivering our products in the field.

The year, 2022, was marked by several problems in the international market, which directly impacted the supply risk for some pesticides. What was the impact of these stoppages to the delivery of products to Brazilian producers? What are the main origins of products sold by IHARA that were affected?

It was a really challenging year in this sense. But even within the context of instability in international inventories in terms of inputs and logistics, we rely on our Japanese supply network and a diverse network of raw material suppliers from other countries. We have always been committed to seeking alternatives that could mitigate any risk of shortages or even the effects on production costs, even in the face of this complex scenario, as our focus is to ensure that our products continue to reach Brazilian farmers at the right time.

The biological pesticides market continues to grow every year. What are IHARA's growth prospects to keep pace with the increased market demand for the segment? What innovations do the company intend to bring over the next year in the biodefensive sector?

IHARA is closely monitoring the scenario of growth in the use of biological products by farmers and the need for new technologies in the market. We recently launched Romeo SC, a biological fungicide with unprecedented action, in Brazil, which acts preventively on soybean crops and can be applied even before the occurrence of rust. It works by fortifying the plant and, therefore, increasing its natural defenses, through applications before and after the reproductive period. As a result, we confirmed an increase in productivity of over 3 bags per hectare in different areas in the main producing regions of the country.

It is a segment with great potential and is included in IHARA's investments in the research and development of new products for the coming years, for sure.

Within the company's growth strategy, which segments should be the main priorities in the coming years?

One of the highlights in 2022 was IHARA's entry into the pasture segment. We launched six highly efficient and result-oriented solutions aimed at pasture management, from planting to the end of the cycle, to ensure good nutrition for herds.

The productive chains of grains, sugarcane and cotton also represent expressive markets with high demand for technologies. Therefore, these are cultures in which we must continue to act strongly while leaving other crops in the background, such as horticultural crops and fruits, which add to economic power of Brazilian agro.

In general, there are new challenges with each harvest. We are currently working with more than 21 new active ingredients, with the potential to generate 173 new products in the coming years. We still have a lot of room to grow in the market in which we operate and have expertise. Then we will certainly have major news.